The stories Australians won't read

9. Australia is the only developed country to have had continuous economic growth for 22 years. Australia and Poland alone among OECD nations avoided recession in 2009. Why just these two? Which other nation is the most envious, and why?

10. Labor productivity is a tricky concept to define, and even trickier to get right. It measures the costs of labour and other inputs used to produce things. Low productivity has bedevilled the world for decades, including Australia's. Until 2011, that is. Suddenly it surged in Australia, rising dramatically for a record seven consecutive quarters. Seven. Wow! What generated this amazing surge? And what will trigger a sudden reversal?

11. Australia has zoomed to the top of the table of well-managed economies. That's based on all the key variables. Not just in the world now, but anywhere, any time. How? Was it abundant minerals, critical decisions by Treasury, or the sound work of Peter Costello?

12. Speaking of whom, why does Australia always rise up through the ranks during Labor regimes and tumble down during Coalition periods? From 19th in 1983 up to 6th during the Hawke/Keating years, then down to 12th in 2007 under Howard and Costello, then to the very pinnacle in 2010. Who benefits from this cycle?

13. Best economy in the world is creditable enough. Best the world has ever seen is more impressive still. But achieved during the worst global economic crisis since the 1930s? How is this conceivable?

14. Remember when national strikes routinely disrupted train and air travel? Petrol rationing, supermarkets running out of milk and garbage piled in the streets? City intersections clogged most Fridays with demonstrations against the war or the US alliance or the government?

Ah, sweet memories. What brought about this cultural change in Australia – almost alone in the Western world – to have such disruption and discord diminish?

15. Finally, what's with Canberra's extraordinary dishonesty differential? A journalist was recently assigned the task of counting all the blatant lies – as distinct from unfulfilled promises – by Australia's four federal party leaders. He found twelve. That's a lot for just four leaders. He also found they were all by the one leader. Which one? Why was the research not published?

There. Fifteen stories. Would you like to read one of them? Well, you can't. Sorry. It has been decided by those who know what you want better than you do that you want three topics only:

(1) How appalling the Government is, (2) how disastrously it is doing in the opinion polls, and (3) how the only hope for the future is a leadership challenge. If the latter eventuates, well, that proves how appalling the Government is, as will be demonstrated in this week's opinion poll, which will apply further pressure for another leadership challenge. If this doesn't happen, well that just shows how appalling the Government is, which next week's opinion poll will highlight …

Ah, you crazy Australians!